I'm not sure whether this qualifies exactly, but when I first got into tech I thought ops was what I wanted to do. I always dabbled in programming (I did learn rails when it first came out) and followed generally the state of web development, but my skills simply never developed in that direction. I was boxed in by my job, and I learned nothing new there. I ultimately decided there was no path forward - so I went backwards.
I switched from a senior Linux admin to a junior rails development job a bit over one year ago now.
It's humbling to start over at my age. The degree to which one can specialize in IT is striking, and the amount of knowledge you learn and internalize is vast. I learn something new nearly every day now, and little (though some) of my prior skillset directly translates.
I'm very glad I took this step, but it's not been easy. I think a lot of humility is required, especially for somebody who is comfy and well established in their current position. But I'm lucky enough to work somewhere with patient and helpful colleagues, who do not view my age and lack of direct experience as a detriment.
One benefit of starting over when you're older: this time around, I fully realize how much I don't know, and I'm never afraid to ask stupid questions. The same was certainly not true of 24 year old me.
I switched from a senior Linux admin to a junior rails development job a bit over one year ago now.
It's humbling to start over at my age. The degree to which one can specialize in IT is striking, and the amount of knowledge you learn and internalize is vast. I learn something new nearly every day now, and little (though some) of my prior skillset directly translates.
I'm very glad I took this step, but it's not been easy. I think a lot of humility is required, especially for somebody who is comfy and well established in their current position. But I'm lucky enough to work somewhere with patient and helpful colleagues, who do not view my age and lack of direct experience as a detriment.
One benefit of starting over when you're older: this time around, I fully realize how much I don't know, and I'm never afraid to ask stupid questions. The same was certainly not true of 24 year old me.